Rotary engine



I June 10, 1941- P. PRINGIERS 2,245,498 ROTARY ENGINE I 3 Sheets-1Sheet1 Filed Aug. 25, 1938 l N V E N TOR PAUL PRlNCHERS June 10, 1941.

P. PRlNGIEZRS ROTARY ENGLPIE Filed Aug. 2:5. 3.938

5 Sheets-$21eei INVENTOR "\I PAUL PRINGIERS June 10, 1941- P PR|NG|ERS2,245,498

ROTARY ENGINE Filed Aug. 23,193 s Sheets-Shed s mv'NToR PAUL PRINGJERS 7nrrrsi Patented June 10, 1941 ROTARY ENGINE Paul Pringiers, La Louvierc,Belgium, assignor to Baumc & Marpent S. A., a joint-stock company ofBelgium Application August 23, 1938, Serial No. 226,348 In BelgiumSeptember 9, 1937 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to rotary engines which may be eitherprime movers or driven machines, comprising in a cylindrical stator, ancecentric rotor provided with vanes extending through the wall of therotor in hearings in which they reciprocate.

The invention relates more particularly to engines of the kind abovestated in which the vanes are mounted radially on a shaft concentricwith the stator and slide in oscillating bearings each formed of twohalf-bearings in the form of segments of the same cylinder.

In engines of this kind, the effects of the cen; trifugal force actingon the bearings make it necessary to reduce the admissible speeds forsatisfactory operation from the industrial point of view.

Furthermore, at high speeds, the centrifugal force tends to jam thevanes and the half-bearings in the recesses of the rotor in which thebearings oscillate, so that the bearings and the vanes are subjected toexcessive strains.

With a view to remedying these disadvantages and to permit the speed ofrotation of these engines to be considerably increased, provision ismade according to the present invention for connecting the hearings to acounterpoise on which the centrifugal force acts in opposition to thecentrifugal force acting on the bearings, while permitting the latter tooscillate in their recesses in the rotor.

According to the preferred construction of the invention, provision ismade to connect each bearing through the medium of a link to one end ofa rocking lever supported on the rotor and coniprising at its other enda counterpoise, in such a manner that the centrifugal hearing iscompensated partly or entirely or in excess by the centrifugal forceacting on the counterpoise, the link connection permitting theoscillations oi the bearings in their recesses.

Other details and features of the invention will appear from thefollowing description and accompanying drawings which are given by wayof example.

Figure i represents diagrammatically a rotary engine of the kinddescribed.

Figures 2 and 3 represent on a larger scale and in perspective twoconstructions oi the invention. 1

Figure 4 illustrates diagrammatically a feature of the invention. v

Fig. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic sectional view of the half bearing andassociated mechanism showing a modified structure.

force acting on the v Fig. 6 is a similar view showing anothermodification.

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing a further modiflcation.

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing still another modified form ofstructure.

Fig. 915 another view like Fig. another modification.

Fig. 10 is a further view like Fig. 5 showing another form of structure.

Fig. 11 is still another view like Fig. 5 showing a further modifiedform of structure.

Fig. 12 is yet another view like Fig, 5 showing a. 'diflerentconstruction.

Fig. 13 is a similar view showing a modification of the structure ofFig. 10.

Fig. 14 is another view like Fig. 5 showing a further modifiedstructure.

The same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the variousfigures.

Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a rotary englne comprising in a.cylindrical stator 2 a rotor 3 likewise cylindrical but eccentricrelatively to the stator and provided with three vanes l, 5 and 5,showing yet i mounted radially on a shaft 1 concentric with the stator.

The vanes l, 5 and 6, slide in bearings 8, 9 and I0, each formed of twohalf-bearings in the form of segments of the same cylinder, and thesebearings are adapted to oscillate in cylindrical recesses ofcorresponding form provided in the rofor 3.

Each half-bearing is connected by a link H to one end l2 oi the rockinglever or bell-crank lever l3 mounted by means of a. pivot on a supportll fixed to the rotor 3. The other end of the rocking lever l3 comprisesa counterpolse IS. The length of the two arms of the rocking lever andthe counterpoise I5 may be designed so as to compensate either partly,totally or with excess the centrifugal force acting on thehalf-bearings.

In engines of the kind described, the surfaces of the half-bearings insliding contact with the faces of the vanes may oesrnooth.

It is likewise known to provide these faces oi! the bearings withrollers journalled on spindles mounted in the half-bearings.

Figure 2 shows in perspective a half-hearing comprising four rollers. 16mounted in pairs on surface, that is to say without anti-irictionrollers, a slot it is provided as shown in Figure 3 and the link H isconnected to the half-bearing by a pin l9 extending across said slot.

According to a feature of the invention. for practically elimin itingthe oscillations of the rocking lever and counter-poise, provision ismade as show n in Figure 4 so that in the mean position of the bearingand link, the axis 2d of the link passes through the virtual centre ofrotation 2| of the bearing 8 composed of two half-bearings, while theaxis 22 of the arm of the rocking lever l3 connected to the link H isperpendicular to the axis 2B of the latter.

In Figure 5, balancing is provided by means of a link H as in Figure 1but said link H is fixed at 25 at the centre of gravity of the bearing 9instead of being fixed to the bottom of said bearing, so as to balancethe centrifugal force without secondary couples.

Figure 6 again showsa construction of balancing by means of acounterpoise iii, but the latter instead of being fixed to the lever 9slides rectllinearly in a recess of the rotor and is connected to thelever is by a second link 26.

Figure '7 shows another construction of balancing by counterpoise inwhich the same counterpoise lE serves for two adjacent bearings 9. Thesupplementary link 26 ot Figv. re 8 is here replaced by a centralrocking lever 2?. The end joints of this lever have a slight playnecessary for the relative movements of the various ele= ments. Thisdevice has the particular advantage of eliminating some of the movementsof the counterpoise owing to the differential effect of the associatedmovements of the two bearings.

According to the construction shown in Figure 8, balancing is effectedby counterpoise but the link i l of Figure 1 has been omitted and therocking lever B with the counterpoise has a cylindrical or sphericalhead 23 engaging a cavity in the bearing 9 which is thus retainedagainst its own centrifugal force.

Figure 9 shows a construction analogous to that of Figure 8, but insteadof engaging the body of thebearing 9 itself, the lever iii retains thebearing. by means of a cylindrical head 23 engam ing a fork 26 securedto the bearing and extending into a recess in the rotor 3 (Figure l)Figure 10 shows a construction or the balancing of the bearings byspring in place of the balancing by counterpoise.

This mstruction comprises a lever i3 and a link ii the centrifugal pullof the counterpoise being replaced by the return spring 2% of highflexibility tensioned to the desired degree for bal ancing thecentrifugal force of the hearing when the engine is running at itsworking speed This system having one or more springs is ap ,plicable toengines running continuously at a constant speed. It has the advantageof a low inertia to the oscillations cf the bearings.

Figure 11. shows a construction analogous to that of Figure 10 but inthis case the lever i3 and the spring 28 ar replaced by a single bl despring of high flexibility tensioned to the desired degree. I

Figure 12 shows another construction employing a single blade spring 35as in the case of Figure 11, but this spring terminates in a roundedhead 3! engaging a cavity in the body of the bearing 9 as in the case ofFigure 8.

Figure 13 shows a method of balancing by spring with a differentialeiiect, analogous to that of Figure 7, but the reaction of thecounterpoise iii is replaced by that of a spring 29 of high flexibilitytensioned to the desired degree.

In Figure 14, the centrifugal force of the hearing d, is counterbalancedby a counterpoise 32 having anautomatically variable action, ensuring anaccentuated return when the bearing departs further from the centre ofthe engine, and reducing the return when the bearing approaches thiscentre. For this purpose, the rocking lever 32' is supported on therotor through the medium of a curved surface 33 adapted to roll on therolling surface 33' of the rotor. The abutment pin 33 limits movement ofthe lever 32 away from the surface 33 As will be readily understood, bymeans of the device described and shown, it is possible to com= pensatethe effects oi the centrifugal force acting on the bearings, whilepermitting their oscillation, thereby enabling the bearing to resistnormally the stress for which it is designed, that to say, the stressesperpendicular to the vanes.

The possibility of considerably increasing the speed of rotation ofengines of this kind likewise results therefrom. The invention is applicable to any rotary engines of the kind described.

What I claim is:

l. A rotary engine comprising a cylindrical stator having a fluidworking chamber therein, a rotor eccentrically mounted in said statorcharm her, said rotor having radial openings therein, a shaft concentricwith the stator and extending axially through the rotor, vanes mountedon said shaft and extending substantially radially through the rotoropenings, the radial openings of the rotor having axially extendingcylindrical re- 'cesses therein, hearings in the form oi segments or acylinder mounted in said recesses on op osite sides of the vanes foroscillation, fluid inlet and outlet ports for said chamber, and meanscarried by the rotor for compensating the action of centrifugal force onsaid bee. rigs.

2. A rotory engine compr c i stator having a fluid working sin rotoreccentrically mounted in said share-- her, said rotor having radialopenings therein, shaft concentric with the stator extending axiallythrough the rotor, vanes mounted on said shaft and extendingsubstantially radially through the rotor openings, the radial openingsof the rotor having axially extending cylindrical recesses therein,hearings in the form of segments of a cylinder mounted in said recesseson opposite sides of the vanes for oscillation, fluid inlet and outletports for said chamber, and a counterweight for compensating the actionof centrifugal iorce on said bearings.

3. A rotary engine comprising a cylindrical stator having a fluidworking chamber therein, a rotor eccentrically mounted in said statorcharmber, said rotor having radial openings therein, a shaft concentricwith the stator and extending axially through the rotor, vanes mountedon said shaft and extending substantially radially through the rotoropenings, the radial openings of the rotor having axially extendingcylindrical recesses therein, bearings in the form of segments of acylinder mounted in said recesses on opposite sides of the vanes i'oroscillation, iluid inlet and outlet ports for said chamber, meanscarried by the rotor for compensating the action of car:- trifugal forceon said bearings, and means connecting the centrifugal forcecompensating means to said bearings for transmitting compensating forcewhile permitting the bearings to oscillate.

4. A rotary engine comprising a cylindrical stator having a fluidworking chamber therein, a rotor eccentrically mounted in said statorchamber, said rotor having radial openings therein, a shaft concentricwith the stator and extending axially through the rotor, vanes mountedon said shaft and extending substantially radially through the rotoropenings, the radial openings of the rotor having axially extendingcylindrical recesses therein, bearings in the form of segments of acylinder mounted in said recesses on opposite sides of the vanes foroscillation, fluid inlet and outlet ports for said chamber, a rockinglever carried by the rotor, a link connecting one end of the lever tosaid bearings, and means acting on the other end of the lever forcompensating the action of centrifugal force on said bearings.

5. A rotary engine comprising a cylindrical stator having a fluidworking chamber therein, a rotor eccentrically mounted in said statorchamber, said rotor having radial openings therein, a shaft concentricwith the stator and extendin axially through the rotor, vanes mounted onsaid shaft and extending substantially radially through the rotoropenings, the radial openings of the rotor having axially extendingcylindrical recesses therein, hearings in the form of segments of acylinder mounted in said recesses on opposite sides of the vanes foroscillation, fluid inlet and outlet ports for said chamber, a rockinglever carried by the rotor, a link connecting one end of the levertosaid bearings, and counterweight means acting on the other end of thelever for compensating the action of centrifugal force on said bearings.

6. A rotary engine comprising a cylindrical axially through the rotor,vanes mounted on said shaft and extending substantially radially throughings, said rotor having a slot therein for sliding movement of thecounterweight to guide said weight ina rectilinear path, and a secondlink con necting the counterweight to the lever.

8. A rotary engine comprising a cylindrical stator having a fluidworking chamber therein, a rotor eccentrically mounted in said statorchamber, said rotor having radial openings therein, a

' of the lever to' said bearings, and counterweight stator having afluid working chamber therein, a

rotor eccentrically mounted in said stator chamber, said rotor havingradial openings therein, a shaft concentric with the stator andextending axially through the rotor, vanes mounted on said shaft andextending substantially radially through the rotor openings, the radialopenings of the rotor having axially extending cylindrical recessestherein, bearings in the form of segments of a cylinder mounted in saidrecesses on opposite sides of the vanes for oscillation, fluid inlet andoutlet ports for said chamber, a rocking lever carried by the rotor, alink connecting one end of the lever to said bearings, counterweightmeans acting on the other endof the lever for compensating the action ofcentrifugal force on said hearings, and means on said rotor for guidingsaid counterweight in a rectilinear path.

7. A rotary engine comprising a cylindrical stator having a fluidworking chamber therein, a rotor eccentrically mounted in said statorchamber, said rotor having radial openings therein, a shaft concentricwith the stator and extending means acting on the other end of the leverfor compensating the action of centrifugal force on said bearings, saidrotor having a curved inner supporting surface and said rocking leverhaving a convex curved surface adapted to roll on said supportingsurface of the rotor.

9. A rotary engine comprising a cylindrical stator having a fluidworking chamber therein, a rotor eccentrically mounted in said statorchamber, said rotor having radial openings therein, a

shaft concentric with the stator vanes rotatably mounted on said shaftand extending substantially radially through the rotor openings, theradial openings of the rotor having axially extending cylindricalrecesses therein, bearings in the form of segments of a cylinder mountedin said recesses on opposite sides of the vanes for oscillation, fluidinlet and outlet ports for said chamber, a counterweight slidably andrectilinearly mounted in a recess in said rotor, a central rocking leverpivotally connected to said counterweight, and a lateral rocking leveron each side of said central rocking lever and pivotally connectedthereto, each of said lateral rocking levers being also pivotallyconnected to one of two of the adjacent bearings, said counterweightacting to compensate the centrifugal force acting on said adjacentbearings.

PAUL PRINGIERS.

